Dealer experiences in the Phoenix metro area??

[zhackwyatt]

Pre-Purchase: I purchased through Chapman Ford and it was mostly painless. I think I was one of the very first, so they didn't know what Ford Options were, but sounds like that's solved now. Kelly asked via email ahead of delivery if I wanted any of the extra stuff like nitrogen, tint, etc in advance so it was ready upon pickup if I did. I opted for the tint just to get it done. All communications were done via email and Kelly was responsive, but not overly knowledgeable. I give her the benefit of the doubt since it was a brand new car with new financing options.

Sales process in person took quite a while, I had X-Plan and it was honored, but required 2 trips back to the manger office. Finance person pushed the warranty and also a security window etching that I said I didn't want but she replied, "Ford makes us do it". When we got to that page there were big bold letters right in the middle that said THIS IS OPTIONAL so I made her remove it -- that required another trip to the manager office to get approval.

Delivery process was fine, nothing special. Didn't program phones or nav with us, or walk through any features, which was fine with me, but my wife wanted a bit more of a tutorial. Like I said, I think we were one of the first to get the car, so not sure they really knew much about the car at that point.

They did try to install my license plate by drilling holes through the bumper rather than using the pre-drilled bolt holes. That was annoying and they sent through the body shop to get that fixed.

Service: the above mentioned body shop work, plus this Door Not Closing issue got us to be pretty familiar with the service side of Chapman. Long story short, stay as far away as possible. They had the car for roughly 2 weeks, didn't want to do a loaner (they got me a Lyft back to Gilbert, and then later that day called back and said I could get a loaner, so had to get a ride back up there). The body work was handled under the sales side, the door under service side, and I guess they don't talk or work together on combined issues. Post service, they delivered the car back worse than it arrived with a door that didn't open from the inside (forgot to hook the interior latch up, I guess) and the same problem with the door. In fact, the exact same issue happened the first time my wife pushed the button on the door when she picked it up - right there in the service center parking lot. At that point if was 530p and no one was there to help, so a service guy wrote it up again as a problem to be fixed at a later time. Discovered the interior door problem later that day when a passenger tried to get out. The communication was pretty horrible. Overall the worst service experience I've ever had. Like I said, I would stay far far away.

Service at San Tan Ford: I don't know about the sales process, but I called San Tan to get the above door issue fixed. Mike Peek could not have been more helpful. It was a complete change from Chapman. Constant communication, offered a loaner car immediately without me even bringing it up as something I'd need, very thorough in keeping me updated and on what they were doing. A+ job from San Tan Ford service department.

That's disappointing to hear as I've been a long time Chapman customer without issue. Kelly was great with me and the finance people didn't push anything. I guess depends on who your dealing with. I've also had mostly positive experiences with Chapman's service. Goes to show no matter what you do, your mileage may vary (pun most likely not intended).

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[BMT1071]

That's disappointing to hear as I've been a long time Chapman customer without issue. Kelly was great with me and the finance people didn't push anything. I guess depends on who your dealing with. I've also had mostly positive experiences with Chapman's service. Goes to show no matter what you do, your mileage may vary (pun most likely not intended).

Very true. Every business has employees that either are not very good at their job, or just don't care. Get stuck with the wrong service advisor or tech and you are screwed.

 

[az-paco]

I was charged the Scottsdale sales tax but I live in a different city with different tax rate. (And the dealer is technically on the Pima reservation, but seems to follow Scottsdale rules.)

For in-state purchases, the sales tax is based on the dealership location, not your residence. I am not sure about out-of-state purchases.

Since Goodyear has the lowest sales tax rate of the valley cities with a Ford dealership, does anyone have experience with a Mach-E at Rodeo Ford?

 

[az-paco]

Since Goodyear has the lowest sales tax rate of the valley cities with a Ford dealership, does anyone have experience with a Mach-E at Rodeo Ford?

Well, I found some older posts that addressed this, but I contacted a sales manager at San Tan Ford based on a friend's referral. They said they will not honor any X-plan for at least a year.

Then I called Earnhardt Ford in Chandler (same sales tax rate as Gilbert, 7.8%). They will honor X plan on ordered MMEs, but not stock (the sales rep mentioned a $2500 ADM on stock MMEs). They also were quick to agree that no add-ons will be pushed, and the deposit is refundable. I placed my order today and got a call back within a few minutes, followed quickly by the order being accepted by the dealer. Can't wait for my Space White Premium SR RWD .

They said they have an incoming MME CA Rt. 1 that is not spoken-for, so I said I might buy it if they offer it to me with X plan pricing. If they insist on keeping it at MSRP + ADM, then someone else can pay that premium.

 

[shutterbug]

Placing an order today for two more Ford Pickups (F250 and F150). I am getting a quote from San Tan just to verify but I am leaning towards Sanderson Ford for my fleet purchases.

So, asking for a friend (no, really), anyone here have experience with Sanderson Ford?

 

[BMT1071]

So, asking for a friend (no, really), anyone here have experience with Sanderson Ford?

Yes. They usually do a pretty good job. Looking for sales or service?

 

[shutterbug]

Yes. They usually do a pretty good job. Looking for sales or service?

Sales.

 

[BMT1071]

Sales.

Call Mark at Sanderson Ford +1 (602) 672-2591

 

[az-paco]

Then I called Earnhardt Ford in Chandler (same sales tax rate as Gilbert, 7.8%). They will honor X plan on ordered MMEs, but not stock (the sales rep mentioned a $2500 ADM on stock MMEs). They also were quick to agree that no add-ons will be pushed, and the deposit is refundable. I placed my order today and got a call back within a few minutes, followed quickly by the order being accepted by the dealer. Can't wait for my Space White Premium SR RWD .

They said they have an incoming MME CA Rt. 1 that is not spoken-for, so I said I might buy it if they offer it to me with X plan pricing. If they insist on keeping it at MSRP + ADM, then someone else can pay that premium.

Well, since my ordered MME is still on hold, waiting for a chip, I decided to contact Earnhardt Ford when I saw they listed another MME available. They said they are asking for $5k ADM, but would give it to me for just $2500 over MSRP. I counter-offered to buy it today at the x-plan price and they can add the ADM when they sell my ordered car to another buyer, but they declined. Guess I'll keep waiting.

If someone else out there wants it, that Rapid Red CA Rt 1 (someone else's cancelled order) is available now.

 

[RedAero42]

Well, I found some older posts that addressed this, but I contacted a sales manager at San Tan Ford based on a friend's referral. They said they will not honor any X-plan for at least a year.

Then I called Earnhardt Ford in Chandler (same sales tax rate as Gilbert, 7.8%). They will honor X plan on ordered MMEs, but not stock (the sales rep mentioned a $2500 ADM on stock MMEs). They also were quick to agree that no add-ons will be pushed, and the deposit is refundable. I placed my order today and got a call back within a few minutes, followed quickly by the order being accepted by the dealer. Can't wait for my Space White Premium SR RWD .

They said they have an incoming MME CA Rt. 1 that is not spoken-for, so I said I might buy it if they offer it to me with X plan pricing. If they insist on keeping it at MSRP + ADM, then someone else can pay that premium.

Just came across your post, we're probably on the same rail car / truck... hoping for an early arrival and looking forward to continued good experience at Earnhardt.

 

[Haydn12]

We just purchased our MachE a couple days ago from San Tan Ford. We ordered the car back on 2/18/21 and were surprised when it showed up on Friday. The expected delivery date was 11/12. I was dreading the dealer buying experience as most of the time it's worse than having a root canal.
We arrived at the dealer and checked out the car and took it for a test drive. We then found out that they would accept X-plan from Mustang Club of America. We then asked for various length loans through Ford Motor Credit. They then gave us a decent trade-in for our Nissan Rogue that worked out to be close to what Carvana was offering us once sales tax was figured in. We put down $40,000 including the trade-in amount. We were able to get a 48 month loan for 0.9% interest rate!

We then had to wait maybe 15 minutes for finance to get the paperwork ready which I think was a new record for us. San Tan Ford usually puts in tinting and other items that bumps up the price by $1200. I was surprised that they didn't add this to the amount. We didn't have any other add-in amounts. They did screw up and had $499 for doc fees which they corrected to $100.

We then had their new car tech assist with the setup of the Ford Pass app and then he trained us on most of the basic functions of the car which took about a half hour.

We were only at the dealer for 3 hours which I think is a record for buying a new car! The sales person was actually apologizing for how long it was taking! I had to assure him this was the fastest we were ever through the buying process.

 

[Anvesh11]

We just purchased our MachE a couple days ago from San Tan Ford. We ordered the car back on 2/18/21 and were surprised when it showed up on Friday. The expected delivery date was 11/12. I was dreading the dealer buying experience as most of the time it's worse than having a root canal.
We arrived at the dealer and checked out the car and took it for a test drive. We then found out that they would accept X-plan from Mustang Club of America. We then asked for various length loans through Ford Motor Credit. They then gave us a decent trade-in for our Nissan Rogue that worked out to be close to what Carvana was offering us once sales tax was figured in. We put down $40,000 including the trade-in amount. We were able to get a 48 month loan for 0.9% interest rate!

We then had to wait maybe 15 minutes for finance to get the paperwork ready which I think was a new record for us. San Tan Ford usually puts in tinting and other items that bumps up the price by $1200. I was surprised that they didn't add this to the amount. We didn't have any other add-in amounts. They did screw up and had $499 for doc fees which they corrected to $100.

We then had their new car tech assist with the setup of the Ford Pass app and then he trained us on most of the basic functions of the car which took about a half hour.

We were only at the dealer for 3 hours which I think is a record for buying a new car! The sales person was actually apologizing for how long it was taking! I had to assure him this was the fastest we were ever through the buying process.

This is very encouraging to hear for when I go through the delivery process there.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[Anvesh11]

It is weird that my order shipped on 15th and it is still not here while your order shipped on 21st and reached earlier.

Ford really needs to sort out their logistics. ?

 

[macchiaz-o]

It is weird that my order shipped on 15th and it is still not here while your order shipped on 21st and reached earlier.

Ford really needs to sort out their logistics. ?

Timeless gif for you. ?

 

[az-paco]

Just came across your post, we're probably on the same rail car / truck... hoping for an early arrival and looking forward to continued good experience at Earnhardt.

Last night, finally brought it home! Love driving it, though it will take some time to figure out what settings I prefer. Plugged it in on the 110V outlet and got about 30 miles added (13kWh) overnight. I was also able to charge both my cars at the same time (both on 110V) with no issues.

The Earnhardt "No Bull" dealer experience could have been better. I posted my Wednesday afternoon story in the "grumpy" thread, so I won't repeat it all here.

• The slow-walk - Like most dealers, they made us sit through their slow-walk process, even though we had already agreed on X-Plan with no add-ons before we arrived. I hope I never need to step foot into a traditional car dealership again because this is always so frustrating. Just let me talk to the people who have access to the information and can make the decisions. The intentionally slow back and forth with intermediaries is painful and wastes my time!
• Financing - they said this was the first Ford Options loan they have done. First they tried to make it like the program doesn't exist, then they tried to tack on 2% to the APR because it's more work for them. After walking out Wednesday night, then returning on Thursday afternoon, they had the docs prepared, but had never asked me the mileage limits I wanted. Of course they chose the 15,000 mile option, which results in a lower balloon (or residual) and higher monthly payments. When I asked the finance manager to change it, he said he didn't know how to make the change and that it would have to wait until the next day. I was not about to go home empty-handed a second time and then return a third time for them to get the paperwork the way I wanted it. Maybe I can call Ford Credit and get them to change the loan or I might refinance with my credit union now that I got the $1000 incentive. He also told me he was surprised they agreed to the terms I expected because they could have sold the car for more if I walked. Lovely!
• Tech setup - they have no level 2 chargers for now, until their renovations are complete. My car had 46% charge on Wednesday and was up to 68% Thursday (and only because I asked the sales rep to charge it the night before. The delivery tech was very nice and seemed to know his way around Sync4, but rushed through a bunch of initial settings, then insisted on trying several times when the Set up PAAK option wouldn't appear on my phone. Then he almost bailed when we asked about setting up a second profile for my wife.
• My satisfaction score:
  • Sales Rep - she gets a 5 out of 5. Very helpful, always responded to my e-mails within a couple hours, and doing her best for us given the process she has to follow.
  • Delivery - I'll give him 4 out of 5. Knows the system, but not the best at teaching a new user and wasted too much time when PAAK wasn't popping up.
  • Finance - 0 out of 5 - everything I said up above and on the Grumpy thread. These guys insisted on delivering the traditional dealership experience. Hated it! They won't let you walk away feeling like you got the deal you expected. Just because of them, next time I may limit my choices to companies like Polestar, Rivian, Lucid, and Tesla or buy used from Vroom, CarMax, or Carvana.
  • The car - Looks great! Once I figure out all the settings and features, I think I will love it!

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